{"id":153247,"date":"2025-11-22T05:53:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/153247\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T05:53:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:53:15","slug":"being-a-wee-bit-scabby-on-nights-out-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/153247\/","title":{"rendered":"being \u2018a wee bit scabby on nights out\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of all the tributes paid to Paschal Donohoe<\/a> after his abrupt resignation<\/a> as minister for finance, perhaps the most heartfelt comes from Oliver Callan (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays). <\/p>\n

As he contemplates Donohoe\u2019s \u201csemi, sort-of, nearly bombshell\u201d, Callan<\/a>\u2019s mood is, if not exactly bereft, then at least wistful: turns out it\u2019s not just the Coalition that has been left high and dry by the minister hightailing it to the World Bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been such a great voice for Callan\u2019s Kicks for so many years, I\u2019m half-devastated,\u201d the host says, sounding wholly sorry at the prospect of no longer being able to lampoon Donohoe\u2019s distinctive tones in his weekly satirical series.<\/p>\n

Minor as this setback may be, it\u2019s the closest thing to a cloud on the horizon for Callan, on the face of things anyway. He is, after all, one of the big winners of RT\u00c9<\/a>\u2019s great Radio 1 shake-up.<\/p>\n

While other presenters at the station have been shunted sideways or deemed surplus to requirements, his programme has been doubled in length and pushed up the schedule to a more prominent \u2013 and civilised \u2013 11am slot. (The latter development is a particular win for Callan, given he once almost slept out his show last year.)<\/p>\n

Little wonder, then, that any melancholy about Donohoe\u2019s move quickly gives way to a jolly overview of his career. <\/p>\n

With apparent sincerity, Callan describes the former minister as \u201cthe towering intellect of Fine Gael<\/a>\u201d, albeit one whom some colleagues have seemingly regarded as \u201ca wee bit scabby on nights out\u201d: not standing your round appears to be a more egregious sin in such circles than not housing your population.<\/p>\n

Where Callan previously provided the cheeky hors d\u2019oeuvre before Claire Byrne\u2019s more substantial main course, he now has to provide the big-name ballast<\/p>\n

The same breezy air pervades Callan\u2019s interviews, even when the subject matter is less cheery. <\/p>\n

The host is palpably charmed by Gregory Maguire, whose novel Wicked<\/a> is now a Hollywood blockbuster; the American author recalls, playfully but honestly, how his ancestry, religion and the death of his mother during childbirth affected him for years: \u201cIt does help to be Irish Catholic if you prefer to be guilty for your whole life long.\u201d <\/p>\n

Similarly, the actor Riste\u00e1rd Cooper<\/a> alternates between fond memories of his late mother and jocular anecdotes about the Apr\u00e8s Match comedy team. <\/p>\n

And while an impressionist asking another impressionist to do his most popular impression might sound like time-collapsing self-indulgence, Cooper\u2019s mimicking of Gay Byrne is pitch-perfect.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paschal Donohoe\u2019s last interview<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a bit of a romp, with Callan projecting the same irreverent energy and emotional awareness that marked the earlier iteration of his show. Yet, at this early stage anyway, the weight of expectation of the new slot seems to be telling on Callan, however subtly. <\/p>\n

For one thing, sustaining a relaxed air while delivering absorbing content is a greater challenge over two hours, as the host is well aware. When the broadcaster and former Ireland rugby player Tommy Bowe<\/a> congratulates Callan on his longer running time, he drily responds: \u201cWe have to really stretch this out now.\u201d<\/p>\n

His conversations certainly seem to be longer than before. This is fine when talking to the likes of Cooper, Maguire and Leon Diop<\/a>, founder of the Black and Irish<\/a> advocacy group, who talks about his mixed-race heritage with honesty on Wednesday. But it may be an issue when, inevitably, the host has to spin out chats with less compelling guests. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Wicked: For Good review \u2013 Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo almost save this deflated prequelOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Also, where Callan previously provided the cheeky hors d\u2019oeuvre before Claire Byrne\u2019s more substantial main course, he now has to provide the big-name ballast after the comprehensive current-affairs coverage of the newly preceding Today with David McCullagh (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays). <\/p>\n

After a good first week as host, McCullagh<\/a> continues to settle in nicely, bringing deft questioning and healthy scepticism to Wednesday\u2019s interview with the departing Donohoe. The former minister is adamant that he\u2019s leaving only because of the \u201conce-in-a-lifetime opportunity\u201d of his new gig; having served four taoisigh, he claims he never had a burning desire for the top job.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s less convincing when asked if he\u2019s bailing out before the economic tide turns. Citing his fiscal record in response, he notes that Ireland has gone from budget deficit to surplus under his watch, but McCullagh is dubious. \u201cIf you strip out corporation tax, it\u2019s deficit,\u201d the host shoots back. Donohoe navigates such questions calmly and politely, but it\u2019s unlikely he\u2019ll miss the ritual grillings of political life. McCullagh, meanwhile, has started his new role in assured style.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Leon Diop: \u2018The far right want to turn this into an immigrant problem, but they just don\u2019t like black and brown people\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Donohoe\u2019s exit is also discussed on The Late Debate (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, Tuesday-Thursday), as Cormac \u00d3 hEadhra<\/a> returns for a second stint as host of the nocturnal panel show. Having been unceremoniously bumped from the Drivetime slot he capably hosted with Sarah McInerney<\/a> \u2013 who remains conspicuously absent from the new Radio 1 roster \u2013 \u00d3 hEadhra resumes business at his old bailiwick in typically bracing style. (He\u2019s also back presenting the eponymous discussion show Saturday with Cormac \u00d3 hEadhra. In all, it\u2019s a straight swap with the new Drivetime host Colm \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in.)<\/p>\n

Ministerial departures notwithstanding, the most contentious topic on Tuesday\u2019s programme is, surprise surprise, immigration. As Ministers make tougher noises on the issue, the Fianna F\u00e1il Senator Fiona O\u2019Loughlin<\/a> insists her party hasn\u2019t changed its line, though there\u2019s initially silence when \u00d3 hEadhra asks if panellists are against a harder line on migration. <\/p>\n

The Independent Senator Eileen Flynn<\/a> then attacks Government policy for othering refugees \u2013 as a Traveller, she says, she knows what this feels like \u2013 as well as favouring Ukrainian migrants over other international-protection applicants. \u201cFrom day one, the Government put white refugees up on a pedestal,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The host does his bit to sustain the robust atmosphere, asking O\u2019Loughlin if tougher Government language is \u201canswering to the far right\u201d and mischievously suggesting that the Sinn F\u00e9in TD Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire<\/a> has remained \u201cvery quiet\u201d throughout the debate. As often the case on The Late Debate, it\u2019s not always enlightening, but with \u00d3 hEadhra at the wheel it\u2019s entertaining. Whatever his true feelings, he doesn\u2019t sound too devastated to be back at his old job.<\/p>\n

Moment of the week<\/p>\n

Another addition to the revamped Radio 1 line-up, Inside Sport (weekdays) spends much of the week basking in the Republic of Ireland\u2019s dramatic Fifa World Cup qualifier victories over Portugal and Hungary. <\/p>\n

RT\u00c9\u2019s soccer correspondent Tony Donoghue relives his postmatch interview with the Budapest hat-trick hero Troy Parrott<\/a> while Marie Crowe, the programme\u2019s host, speaks to the defender Dara O\u2019Shea<\/a>, focusing on the Irish player\u2019s role in Ronaldo\u2019s red card in the Portugal game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game\u2019s the game. I was doing whatever I could for my country,\u201d O\u2019Shea says of his reaction to the Portuguese superstar\u2019s elbowing foul on him. He then adds, with a knowing chuckle, \u201cThe less I say the better, maybe.\u201d <\/p>\n

Indeed. Wiser to let the results do the talking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Of all the tributes paid to Paschal Donohoe after his abrupt resignation as minister for finance, perhaps the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[48152,86463,47886,86462,86461,93,3775,86460,61,60,86459,41142,774,86457,6085,48153,86458,44452],"class_list":{"0":"post-153247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-cormac-o-headhra","9":"tag-dara-o-shea","10":"tag-david-mccullagh","11":"tag-donnchadh-o-laoghaire","12":"tag-eileen-flynn","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-fine-gael","15":"tag-fiona-o-loughlin","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-leon-diop","19":"tag-oliver-callan","20":"tag-paschal-donohoe","21":"tag-risteard-cooper","22":"tag-rte","23":"tag-sarah-mcinerney","24":"tag-tommy-bowe","25":"tag-troy-parrott"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}